Cloth-clamp for textile machinery



w. s. ROWLEY.

CLOTH CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERWE I APPLICATION FiLED JULY 27.1918.

1 ,333, 1 34. Patented Mar. 9,1920.

6 1a witness v WILLI M s. ew or PALMYRA, vnw JERSEY, :Assrenoiz' tro nfwl :Bnr'rnnwoR'rri a sons '00., or PHI EL HI PENNSYLVANIA,

v mA.

I 1;0 all whom it (may concern.

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. RQWLEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Palmyra; county of Burlingtom'and State 5 *of'New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Gloth- Clamps for Textile IMachinery, of which the following is aspecification: f -';'My invention has for its object the construction of a cloth clamp. for tentering and 7 other textile machinery, which will insure a more positive grip upon the selvage edges of the fabric than has; heretofore been possible with automatic clamps of the general nature to which my "present invention -rela'tes; i j r In clamps having aplvoted aw adapted, when released byth'e operating cams, to

3 -grip 1 the'fabric, upo a plate or surface Jfixedly attached to the chain link; there has been much difliculty to insure propelclamping operation because the thicknesses ofthe "fabric and surface-texture varies and there- ";by-changes the gripping inclination of the 2 5 clamping j aw; and moreover, this angle must such that for the lightest fabrics the gripping edge of the jaw will notbe liable to spring overjthe fixedlate and thus release i the cloth,..whichprovisionLea-uses the jaw '80 to have so great an lnclination when heavy fabrics are being treated, that they are not securely held and defective treatment results: If the gripping edge of the jaw is made sharper than usual to insure better V biting upon the fabric,';then liability to'cut- 'ting the'more delicatefabrics results. In "the usual practice, the plates oftheclar'nps on opposite sides of the machine "are in the same horizontal plane and the gripping 40 jaws extend obliquely thereto in opposite directions and at pronounced inclinations of approximately 20 to -30 degrees and such 'inclinations, not only =make it ditlicultfto hold all classes of fabrics but the failure to i properly hold them produces defective treatment and unmarketable goods. These de fects are entirely overcome by my improvements hereinafter described.

, 'My invention consists in having the grippingsurface of the cloth clamp arranged at an upward incline to the normal level between the clamps at the opposite sides of the machine and shortening the length of the pivoted jaw so that it may swing almost to a vertical position whereby it produces Specification of Letters Patent: I Application filed .Tuly'27, 1918. S eria1 -No.'246,961.-

j acent to its the gripping-power being'so greatly inthe nature of which:

the nvention consists fined in the claim."

1%} is a sectional view of a modified form of *"Referring to Figflf2, 2," are the side of usual construction.

1Cil0f1H-GLAMPFOR TExT-marommma I f Patented' -Mar. 9,1920,

a powerful through the clamp. In other words; instead of the plate being tangential to a vertical line through the pivot of the jaw, it is made at a slight incllne thereto so'as tobisec't the arc-made by the gripping edge of the proximately vertical jaw in swinging ad gripping positions Enrther- I "more, n a clamp of thismodified character,

A conroRATIo ronrnn vsYn i p gripping actionuponthe cloth and without any danger of being drawn creased, it is possible to materially reduce fabric. 1

lVith the above and vother objects in View,

dersto'odfrom the description hereinafter, 1

in the novel construction of cloth clamp for textilemachineryas hereinafter more" fully described and de- Referring-to the drawingszrFignre 1 is "the sharpness jof the: gripping edge and i --thereby reduce the danger of injury to the i l v 170 will be more fully, un- I a cross'section illustrating thefrelation of my improved clothhclamps when used: in a tentering machine; Fig 2 is a frontelevation of my improved cloth clamp; Fig. 3

is a transverse section of the same; and Fig.

clamping plate. 1

frames of atentering nachine. and have suitable guideways for'the chains of cloth clamps- 3, 3," which, while being fed through the' machine, are caused tohave a;relative reciprocation by reason of opposite reciprocatlons given tor-the two side frames 2, 2, all of'whlch is understood by those skilled in the art. -74 indicates the clotlrwhich is stretched between the twomsets of" clamps".

3,3, and in praetice may be considered as occupying two opposite a particular feature of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the details of the cloth clamps themselves as shown in Figs. 2 and3, 5 is the link portion by which the clamps are jointedly connected,

a hori-zontial plane. :In this figure it wil observed that the dotted mesa 9," extend $130111 the surfaces of the "clamps '3, 3-,.andintersect' above: the. .hor'i-/.

i zontal plane between the: clamps, and thi'slis 6 is theclamp bed cast integral therewith and provided with theoverhanging arms 13-, all ofwhlch may be COIlSlOlQIGdgenerally as In practice it has 40 too without danger of being pulled forward been customary'to provide-a flat plate upon I the bed 6, the clamping surface of which has 10, Fig. 3; and to insure a rigid construe been made horizontal; but inmy improved constructlon, this'plate 8 1s secured. upon the bed 6 so as to present an inclined clampsurface. This inclination is indicated by the dotted line 9 as compared with the ing horizontal plane indicated bydotted'line tion the bed 6 may'have its upper surface inclined to receive the plate 8. The plate may havea downwardfront flange 7 and be secured 1n position by rivets or n any other suitable manner. It is manifest that the use of a separateplate 8 is not essential, but is advantageous as providing a brass surface upon which toclamp the fabric instead of a cast iron surface of the'bed 6 itself.

through a slot 11 in theplate 8 and bed 6v and whose rear part 18 rests upon the plate 8 at the rear of the slot for controlling the positionof gripping upon the cloth, all as heretofore employed.

Referringto Fig.8, it'will be observed,

' that by reason of the inclining of the. surofthis almost rightangles of the jaw to the face of the plate: 8,.the movable jaw 14 is enabled to assume almost a vertical position in its most effective gripping actlon, and this and off the plate 8-, as would be the case if; said. plate were not inclined to bisectthe are described by the gripping edge of the jaw. It will-further be seen that because plate, the gripping edge of the jaw may be greatly more blunt than has heretofore been necessary and hence removes danger to cutting of the fabric. 1 I

In Fig. 4, I have shown a modified form of the .plate 8, the same having the upvward incline at its forward portion only instead of over its whole surface. The part 7 may be horizontal and the part 8 inclined to correspond to the inclined dotted It will now .ters Patent, is:

limit), and itwill be understood that this will suflice as it is only necessary to have the incline on that portion which cooperates withthe clamping jaw 14L with the various.

thicknesses, offabrics requiring treatment.

Prior to "the use of my improved clamp tentering machine as ordinarily constructed and much lossresulted by reason of the defective results obtained. Commercial experience with my improved clamp herein described has demonstrated the fact that with their use, all such defects heretofore existing are entirely and: effectively overcome. 7 r a be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have inthe very great difficulty was experienced in treatvmg fabrics of various thicknesses upon a present instance shown anddescribed the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliableresults, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details,

as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. 1

- Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to In a cloth clamp, a cast metal body'havclamping surface rigidly. positioned below theflarms'and formingone of the jaws of the clamp, combined witha pivoted clamping jaw hinged to the overhanging arms and normally in a substantially vertical position when in the act of clamping the cloth secure by Leting rigid integral overhanging armsand a upon the rigid surface constituting a part.

of the other jaw, said pivoted jaw having a relatively sharp clamping edge, the clamping surface of the body iminediately upon each side of a vertical plane through the aXial hinge of the pivoted formed in a continuous incline upward toward the open side'of' the clamp to providecoaction with :the hinged jaw when in' a substantially vertical position, whereby the 'pivotedjaw is adapted to clamp fabrics of various thick- 'nesses with-positiveness and with a maximum clamping action. 7 I

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

. WILLIAM s. ROWLEY. 

